Ryan Whalen, Stanford's leading receiver the last two years, was injured in the Wake Forest game Saturday night and was not listed on the depth chart the school issued Tuesday for this week's game at Notre Dame.

But, as is his policy, coach Jim Harbaugh wouldn't disclose the injury nor would he give any estimate of how long Whalen might be out. What's more, his players aren't allowed to give information on their own injuries, and mum's the word even among their families and friends.

Their silence is part of Stanford's don't-ask, don't-tell policy regarding football injuries.

Harbaugh gave minimal information last season; this year he has shut the door tightly. Asked at his weekly news conference what happened to Whalen - who left the game holding his arm - he said, "I'm not going to tell you anything. As soon as we tell you, you tell Notre Dame. There's no advantage of doing that."

He indicated that knowing Whalen's status would affect how the Irish prepare for Stanford.

"I would want to know that about the status of every player on their team," he said. "Whether they're going to play. What percent (of effectiveness) they are. How many plays they're going to play. How they're going to be used. That's valuable information."

Almost every other football coach in the Pac-10 issues such information routinely, although Cal's Jeff Tedford said Monday he would stop doing it.

"Don't be surprised when you see a lot more college coaches doing the same thing," Harbaugh said. "It's the right and fair thing to do for the players."

The code of silence applies even to injuries that are no longer an issue. Linebacker Shayne Skov declined Tuesday to disclose why he missed the first two games, although he was reported by ESPN to have had a knee infection. "I can't tell you, sorry," he said.